Telenovelas, a bridge deserving a plaque

Above all mediums, television has the power to connect people from two countries.

In appreciation for the power that television has in Korea in bridging two very distant countries, Brazilian Ambassador Edmundo Fujita awarded a plaque of appreciation to Lee Mong-ryong, president and CEO of the Korea Digital Satellite Broadcasting Co. for his contribution in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

"People say that both countries are far from each other," said Fujita. "Now days it's no excuse because we have the internet, global TV, movies, TV dramas. So I want to take this occasion to enhance and improve the relations between the two countries."

Brazilian Ambassador Edmundo Fujita (left) shows his appreciation to Lee Mongryong, president and CEO of SkyLife satellite provider, for broadcasting a taste of Brazil on channel 48. Yoav Cerralbo/The Korea Herald

Better known by the name "SkyLife," the local satellite broadcast service provider started broadcasting Brazil's telenovelas on channel 48 for the Korean audience in December 2009.

Lee explained that the popularity of Brazilian soap operas in Korea has increased steadily since their introduction to the peninsula, providing audiences an alternative to the Hollywood sitcoms and TV shows, helping to culturally diversify the contents of the TV programs.

"I am pleased to see Brazilian TV shows broadcast in high definition nationwide in Korea." Fujita said.

The ambassador added that he hopes to see Brazilian television shows on regular cable channels in the future, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area where the Brazilian Embassy is located.

"By delivering the Brazilian TV content through various media formats, the cultural exchanges between the two countries would increase," noted Fujita.

A telenovela is a limited-run television serial melodrama popular in Latin America and combines ancient melodrama with the 19th century soap opera storyline and plot development.

In Brazil, telenovelas are both realistic and sometimes touch on controversial subjects that Brazilians can relate to because of the series' depiction of the middle class, working class and upper class.

Brazilian productions are among the most expensively produced in Latin America and a typical series usually runs for eight months.

According to the embassy, there are currently about 100,000 Brazilians of Korean origin living mainly in the Sao Paulo area.

Fujita explained that he would like to see in the near future a television drama produced by entertainment companies located in both countries.

"If you find a good story about Koreans in Brazil or vice versa, we can help and it would be very important to promote both countries," he said.

By Yoav Cerralbo ( yoav@heraldm.com)